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T. J. DAVIES. WAGON BRAKE LEVER.

,143. Patented Apr; 1,1884.

I all:

WITNESSES 4 03 Attorney UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

THOMAS J. DAYll-IS, OF Nl-HYAIKK, Olllt), ASSIGN OR ()F USE-HALF TU DANIEL Tl IOMAS. ()l" SAME PLACE.

WAGON-BRAKE LEVER.

SPECIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 296.143. dated April 1. 1884. I

Application filed January ll, F 4.

all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, 'lnoius J. l).\v11-:s, a citizen of the l'nited States, residing at- Newark, in the county of Licking and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Impro\ ements in \Yagon-lh'akes, of which the following is a specification, relerenee being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved wagon-brake, showing the pawl in two positions by the. aid of dotted lines. Fig. 2 is an edge view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail indicating the pawl and its spring and the auxiliary hand-lever.

The object of this invention is to improve means for actuating hand-brakes for wagons; and it consists, essentially, in means whereby the brake-lever is positively held in its place on a toothed are by means ot'an independent lever actuated, in part, by a spring, and having an anti-friction roller on its lower arm or end which will bear against the tail of the pawl.

I am aware it is not broadly new to use an auxilizu'ylever in combination with a primary lever and a pawl and ratchet, and therefore I make no broad claim to these devices. 7

The gist of my invention will appear from the following description, when taken in connection with the annexed drawings.

Let A designate one side of a wagon-body. To this side (outside) of the body I rigidly secure a V-shaped strap-iron, 1 This imn not; only affords rigidity to the side of the wagon-body, but italso atl'ords a strong basis for the attachment; of my improved brake-lever, which I shall now describe.

At the lower angle of the V-shaped strapiron B, I rigidly atllx or form a fulcrum-pin or collar, a which is adapted to serve, in connection with a bolt, (1, and a nut, as the fulcrum of lever C. This lever is connected by means of a rod with the brakes of the rear wheels in the usual well-known manner. The upper arm of the lever C is adapted to afford a handle for the driver sitting in his seat on the wagon. At the upper ends of the V-shapcd brace 13, I rigidly secure a toothed segment, D, bymeans of tubcsec, nuts 0'0, and bolts 0 a the heads of the bolts 0" a" being in close contiguity with the wagon-body. It is thus obvious that (No model.)

the rack or toothed segment- I) serves a twofold purpose in combinat ion with the V-shaped strapto wit, as a rigid brace and a bearing for the levers. Let it, be observed that at the angle. of the strap-iron I have a tube formed on this iron which is an integral part thereof, and which atl'ords a bearing for the fulcrumpin of the brakelevcr. Now, having estalr lished my fulcrum, I pivot to the hand-lever at J a pawl, ll. This pawl is peculiar in this respect", that it has an upturned angular tail, 0, and a gripping portion, 4/. Its fulcrum is at J, on a pin which has its rigid bearing on the hand-lever t, and the offset 0' thereof. This otl'set and also the bifurcated end of the lower arm of an auxiliary or tripping-1ever, t'r, resists lateral strain on the pawl 15, and therctbre I consider this combination a veryimportantthature ofmyim'ention. The

pawl E is adapted to engage with the teeth of the segment I), and to hold the lever C at any desired angle or point of adjustment.

For the purpose of positively holding the pawl 1'] in engagement with the teeth of the rack-segment-, I employ a spring, 1", which is sccuredto the said hand-lever atj'and strained by a pin,]', also fixed to this lever. It will be observed that the spring is so adapted and applied above the pawl l) as to press down- So wardly upon it, and thus, it-

a straight; spring, the thrustis so ctfectually exerted upon the end of the pawl as to hold down under all ordinary conditions.

Above the pointf of attachment of the spring F to the hand-lever C, I fix to this lever a stud,

c, which atl'ords a fulcrum for an otl'sct, of an auxiliary tripping-lever, G. This auxiliary lever is constructed almost symmetrically within the main or hand lever (3. Its upper spread end, lies in such clos'e'relation to the said main lever that the handles of'the two lovers can be grasped at the same time by the driver on his seat. The lower arm of this auxiliary lever G is bifurcated, as shown at g" 5 5 and the bifurcations are enlarged to straddle the aforesaid upturned end or tail of the pawl 1']. Between the bifurcations (f is an antifriction wheel or roll, y", which is adapted to press against the said tail of the pawl when it is desired to disengage its gripping end from the sector or toothed rack. It will be seen that; the pawl not connected to the auxil iary lever, although by a simple manipulation of this lever the pawl can be disengaged from its rack.

From what has been stated it will be seen that the pawl and the auxiliary lever are 'disconnected. Consequently the pawl isheld pesihand-lever, atoothed sector, aspring-a'ctm ated pa l, which is pivoted to the said handlevcr, and an auxiliary lever also pivoted to said hand-lever, and having an anti-friction roller on its lower end adapted to bear against the upturned end of the pawl, all constructed and adapted to operate substantially as described.

2. The V-shaped wagon-lmdy brace having' formed on its acute-angular portion a stud, the hand-lever fulcrumed on this stud, as described, the toothed sector serving as a tie between the arms of the brace, the main handlever, the spring-actuated pawl, and the independentpawl-tripping lever, substantially as described.

3. In combination with a toothed sector,

secured rigidly to a wagon-body, a haml-lewreonnected to the brakes,the springnetuated pawl having" an upturned extension or tail, and an auxiliary lever having at. its lower bi fureated end an anti-friction roll adapted to trip the said pawl and release the brake, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature. in presence of two witnesses.

Tl IOBIAS J. DAY I ES.

\Vit nesses:

.ToxA rlux Jim-1s, Swln'rz. 

